CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago State University has laid off more than 300 employees, or about a third of its workforce, because of the state government’s budget stalemate.
University President Thomas Calhoun Jr. tells the Chicago Tribune that faculty members were spared from this initial wave of cuts, which affected most areas of the university from administration and counselors to police and carpenters.
The university on Chicago’s South Side had been at risk of running out of money as Illinois’ public colleges and universities waited since July for state funding held up by the budget standoff in Springfield.
On April 22, lawmakers approved a $600 million short-term funding fix for the state’s colleges and universities. But Calhoun said the $20 million that went to Chicago State was not enough to prevent job cuts.